Straight renunciation of marriage for the kingdom of heaven, from a Protestant perspective

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Detaching Celibacy From Homosexuality

Imagine if all children standing in Santa Clause lines were required to watch a porn flick first. Imagine if all kids in daycare were required to learn about condoms and how to put them on. Imagine if all first graders had to demonstrate sodomy. Are you getting sick yet? That’s exactly how I feel every time I see the words celibacy and homosexuality used in the same sentence in a religious context, especially when they’re used by supposedly church leaders. Consider these recent headlines:

According to the Oxford Dictionary, celibacy is “the state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations.” There is nothing in that definition about homosexuality, the Catholic Church or vows. But these issues have worked their way into the definition to the point that the only example Oxford could offer for the word was “a priest who has taken the vow of celibacy.” The English vocabulary that is found within the King James Version of the Bible and every version since certainly falls short in communicating biblical principles. But I think we fall short in defending them. In the case of celibacy, it’s a word that is not found in any version of the bible. But it is biblical because it is a virtue found within many passages. Consider 1 Corinthians 7:1: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” I think that pretty much falls in line with celibacy’s definition of “abstaining from marriage and sexual relations.” If Apostle Paul were writing his letter to the Corinthians today, he might possibly use the word celibacy. But why is something so good wrapped up in a world of sexual immorality and abomination? First, I think we can thank an ultra-liberal news media that feeds the American public a perpetual diet of decadence. Every other headline drips with stories about politicians caught with their pants down, teachers having inappropriate relationships with students, campus rape, pornography, abortion, same sex unions, etc. And unfortunately, the public’s vocabulary is shaped by what they hear and see on the news – not what they read in the Bible. It’s a vocabulary as philosophically deep as yesterday’s newspaper. In a world where greed and self-pleasure are civil rights, language becomes its own religion. Its role shifts from a means of communicating meaningful ideas to a role of ensuring the comfort of the masses. Today we have a language that serves to normalize the perverted, sugarcoat the abominable and unspeakable, and make right everything that is wrong. How do you like your porn? Hard or soft? How’s your performance in bed men? Think you might need a little help with that ED? Actually the word “male” has only one meaning in the marketing world today – penis. That’s why it always baffles me when I read that it’s women who are being objectified. I’m afraid it’s men too. The only value any language innately holds can never be greater than the character of the culture. For example, what was “unseemly” when Paul wrote the book of Romans is now “committed relationships.” What was adultery is now no fault divorce. What was a virgin is now a single. What was fornication is now premarital sex. What was marriage is now a wedding and a state contract. What was deceit is now marketing strategy. What was conviction is now shame. We need to drop the euphemisms and word games and use the Bible as it was intended – the sword of the spirit.

What’s really a shame is that the very lifestyle Paul, Jeremiah, Daniel, John The Baptist, Elijah, Lazarus, Shadrach, Meshach, Obednego, Martha, Hagar, Ruth, and Jesus himself chose while on this earth has been stereotyped into the abominable world of sexual orientation, homosexuality and vile affections. The very life that Apostle Paul honored and recommended as a gift for those eunuchals who careth for the things that belong to the Lord has been cast into the perverted world of unnatural lust and same sex attraction. Even the phrase “celibate gay Christian” is an oxymoron. Such a thing does not exist. Celibate Roman Catholic lesbian? That headline actually made me laugh. Wordsmiths, I encourage you to work on a new Christian vocabulary, because even putting the word “celibacy” in the same train of thought with homosexuality and the scandals of the Catholic church is offensive to those who have been called to a life without sex, to care for those things which are heavenly and outside the comprehension of this world. Open communication is good. But discussion for the sake of discussion is not a virtue if it has no basis in the Bible. So keep this in mind – If you are not living a life of celibacy, you are not qualified to write about it. And if you do write about it, don’t automatically link it to ungodly lifestyles, unless you want to make God gay. Those who do live celibate lives could just as easily start referring to married couples as pedophiles. It follows the same kind of non-logic.